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While you’re trying to stay warm in this frigid weather, here is some reading of note as well as some upcoming events of interest to the Hudson Division.

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In the March 2015 issue of QST (also available online), the story about the January 2015 ARRL Board of Directors Meeting included the following article on page 75:

“Legislative Issues Advocacy Fund Receives Initial Donation”

During the Annual Meeting, ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, on behalf of the members of his Division, presented ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, with an inaugural donation of $4500 to the new ARRL Legislative Issues Advocacy Fund. President Craigie received the contribution during the ARRL Board’s Annual Meeting January 16-17 in Windsor, Connecticut. The check, from the Long Island Mobile Amateur Radio Club, represented contributions from members at the 2014 Hudson Division Awards Luncheon on November 8. President Craigie generously matched the donation. The Board’s Administration and Finance Committee established the Legislative Issues Advocacy Fund — proposed by Lisenco — to educate and inform members of Congress of the importance of issues that impact the Amateur Radio Service.

“There is an urgent need to raise money to help offset the cost of sending our voice to Washington for legislative advocacy, and we need to continue these expenditures into the future to achieve our goals — including and going beyond the current CC&R legislative effort — as there will always be issues that require a continuing presence on Capitol Hill,” Lisenco said after the meeting.

Lisenco added that potential issues down the road could include spectrum allocation — and especially conflicts stemming from broadband allocations — revisions to the Communications Act, the adequacy and efficiency of FCC enforcement and the use of Amateur Radio volunteers, increased privatization of Amateur Radio administration, FCC oversight, and radio frequency interference concerns, “to name a few”

“We must establish a brand for Amateur Radio now, so that we no longer have to be reactive when it comes to the relationship between the federal government and Amateur Radio,” Lisenco stressed after the meeting.

The ARRL is a tax-exempt 501(C)(3) entity. All donations to the fund are tax deductable within the limits of the law. For information on how to donate to the ARRL Legislative Issues Advocacy Fund, contact Development Manager Lauren Clarke, KB1YDD (tel 860-594-0348).

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Speaking of advocacy, the new version of Amateur Radio Parity Act is in development for the 114th Congress. We are in the process of obtaining as many of the co-sponsors from last year to become original co-sponsors of the new Bill. Of the co-sponsors in our Division, five are no longer in Congress. That leaves us 13 co-sponsors from last year. Of those, five have already agreed to becoming an original co-sponsor. They are: Rep. Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), Rep. Lance (R-NJ), Rep. Israel (D-NY), Rep. King (R-NY), and Rep. Tonko (D-NY).

I will be going to Washington later this month to work the halls and try to get as many previously committed members to continue their support. As soon as the Bill drops and we get a number, I will pass that on to you as we will need to continue our letter writing campaign and our effort to get as many to sign onto the Bill as possible.

This year, we also plan on having a companion Bill introduced in the Senate.

Once again, if you are active in your community and personally know your Congressman/woman or your Senator, please let me know.

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Fair Lawn Amateur Radio Club to Hold Special Presentation On Moon Bounce and Weak Signal Operation

The Fair Lawn Amateur Radio Club (FLARC) is pleased to announce a program providing a comprehensive overview of one of the continually evolving aspects of amateur radio communications at its club’s meeting room this Friday, February 20, 2015 at 7PM.

This special presentation, “Modern 2 Meter EME and Weak Signal Operation” will be given by Woody Peitzer (AK2F) and Roger Shultz (NJ2R).

Woody is an active ham on 160 meters through 440 MHz. He received a BSEE from Syracuse University in 1980 with graduate school at University of NC Charlotte. He holds several patents in LTE and handset technology. Roger, a University of Akron graduate, was first licensed in 1956 as KN8AJF in Ohio and is currently active on 80 through 2 meters, QRP portable VHF, EME and terrestrial on 2 meters for almost 5 years. Both Woody and Roger hold Amateur Extra Class licenses.

Earth–Moon–Earth communication (EME), also known as moon bounce, is a radio communication technique which relies on the propagation of radio waves from an Earth-based transmitter directed, via reflection from the surface of the Moon, back to an Earth-based receiver.

The club is located in the Fair Lawn Community Center at 10-20 20th Street in Fair Lawn. Talk in via the FLARC repeater, W2NPT, 144.870 input/145.470 output/PL 107.2.

2015 SKYWARN Spotter Training Classes will be conducted by the National Weather Service in both Bergen & Passaic Counties!

More Information (including a short video of a previous Class) along with links to Locations, Times, Maps, Driving Directions and to how to Pre-register (required) is now available on the BergenSkywarn Website at:

Comments

Looking For Division Archives

At a recent hamfest I found a program from the 1982 Hudson Division
Convention. Over the past few years I’ve found only one or two items
of note regarding our Division and its’ history. It made me realize
that there was no central repository for items of a historical nature
that dealt specifically with the Hudson Division. There appears to be
a dearth of these materials.There have been conventions, both Division and National, in the Hudson
Division going back to the 1930s, clubs galore with their own QSL
cards, newsletters that were sent to members by Division leadership,
and so forth. So before it’s too late, and while we still have
members who have squirreled away copies of these materials in filing
cabinets or basement boxes, I am reaching out to the Division and
asking that you consider one of two things. First, please consider
parting with these materials and letting me take them. I’ll scan
them, put them up on the Division website to share with the members,
and then pass them on to succeeding Directors as the keepers of our
story.If you would prefer not to part with them, then please consider
scanning the items for placing on the website. Items would include:
Convention programs, Director newsletters (yes, they used to be printed
and mailed), Club QSL cards, QSL cards of operators of note, pins,
badges, etc., etc.Please let me know what you have